Beautiful mistakes and martinis
by Tolerance
Summary: That one night that Virginia Potts let herself off guard. /abandoned.
1. Hello Mariah

_That one night that Virginia Potts let herself off guard._

A.N.: It was supposed to be a long one-shot, but I guess I needed to split it. Today's episode is brought to you by letter "A", which stands for: 1) a lot of Wikipedia, 2) awesome amount of OneRepublic - _Secret_s and Hurts - _Wonderful Life _played (don't look into it that much, although they are inspiring)_,_ 3) awfully cold, rainy, windy weather (yes, I love the rain, but how much one can take?).

I own nothing._  
_

* * *

_**Beautiful mistakes  
and martinis**_

Pepper didn't know how long she had been standing there, pouring martinis into herself one after another (damn nostalgia). Frankly speaking, she didn't care.

She felt so fed up and down it seemed that the slightest blast of ocean air might just deprive her of last strengths, even if she was bravely holding onto the balustrade. Behind her, specifically in Stark mansion, another party was taking place, and Pepper couldn't afford to remember if there was even any reason for it, like celebrating Tony's new invention or his birthday. It seemed more like celebrating Tony's boredom.

How ironic it was for her to stand outside this noise and cry. Did she think that a turned down Tony Stark would wait for her? Prove his developing feelings for her? Oh, how silly she was to believe that. What seemed more idiotic in the first place was that she fell in love with her boss at all. Maybe it was just a game for him, flirting with girls here and there, but Tony hadn't hesitated to do it even in front of her, every time making it worse and worse for Pepper to bear. In her heart Pepper felt that this kind of behavior proved how he didn't mean what he said about superhero's girlfriend. How wrong she was when she thought her refusal would teach him a lesson and make him crave for her more.

Well, obviously it did not. The two girls he just brought upstairs were clearly an easy message to read.

She tried to stop this foolishness, talk herself out of this ridiculous crush, but somewhere deep inside she really hoped he changed for good. She thought they connected in a way for more than just friends. She thought-

Then her, quite hysterical, train of thoughts was interrupted by someone else entering the terrace.

"Pepper! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Tony said merrily and walked over to her side. "I have this uncomfortable misunderstanding and- Jesus, are you crying?" he asked when she looked at him finally. It was dark, but in the moonlight, magnified with ocean's reflection, he saw the bloodshot eyes and the tears. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she sniffed, wiping her cheeks. Him standing right in front of her was making things worse for her even. Pepper didn't find it comforting that he was there, instead of bed with two blondies. She gulped at once the rest of her drink, she had been holding.

"Don't you do this woman's 'nothing' nothing to me," he howled and touched her shoulder. Tony was startled as hell to see his personal assistant crying, because he simply never had the chance to see her like that before. There were no desperate, quick breaths. Just the overwhelming sadness.

Pepper made no reply and just rolled her eyes.

"Well?" Tony questioned and leaned a bit to her, his face close to hers.

Pepper waggled in her place, the pressure inside her to tell him winning over her usual need for them sticking to professional relation. Then, feeling the alcohol take advantage of her, she threw the glass in her hand into the ocean.

"I hope no hippie saw that." now nervous Tony tried a joke.

"This is wrong," she whispered before slowly closing the gap between them and placing a slight kiss on the side of his mouth. Pepper was about to step away and flee, when Tony caught her slim waist and held her tightly against himself. In the next second his lips were back on hers, kissing Pepper like there was no tomorrow, his mouth caressing hers with passion and lust. Pepper loved the way his goatee was scratching her skin, but broke the kiss anyway, trying not to lose her mind. And pants.

For now.

"How this can be wrong, when it feels so right?" Tony asked, eyes half closed, still holding Pepper. "How long do you wanna play cat and mouse more? Mmm? I want you, Pepper."

In response, Pepper moved her head slightly, pointing to the house, meaning the whole party, the blondies, and the girls at all.

Tony groaned, getting what she meant. "See? This is me, opening up to you again, thinking we're back on the right track and you bring up the most irrelevant thing."

"How's that irrelevant? If you weren't here, you would be screwing these girls right now without hesitation," Pepper snapped, trying to release herself from his strong grip.

"But I'm here, Pepper," Tony mumbled. "And I need you, not them. I told you there was a misunderstanding-"

Pepper sighed heavily. "You say that now," she interrupted him. "It's not me you want. It's the challenge I am to you."

"Potts-"

"It's okay, Tony." She nodded with her head and brought her face back to his. Somewhere inside her another barrier broke. "I know all of this. I don't have the power to reject you anymore. Just do what you want," she murmured, and Tony caught her lips again.

###

Tony knew Pepper got this wrong, she got _him_ wrong, but feeling her soft tongue touch his he decided he would leave the explanations for himself later, when he'd show her she's the only important to him. Tony had to convince her she was his refuge. His last thought, about how his little plan of making her jealous finally worked, vanished quickly out of his mind as he felt strong arousal in his crotch, between their tightly adhered bodies. One of his hands found its way to her ponytail and in one moment released these bounded golden waves he loved so much. Like nothing before, he wanted to bring her inside, protect from cold wind that was surrounding them and discover every part of her pale-skinned body. But he just couldn't afford to pause the pleasure of feeling her sweet lips against his, now that they were in a situation he lusted for quite time. Therefore Tony pushed Pepper into the balustrade without breaking the kiss, his hand finding its way up her thigh, just under the hem of the pencil skirt. Then he felt Pepper's small hand push him slightly away, while the other one caught his palm. She pulled him back to the house after herself. Tony expected some kind of a smile on her face, but he was faced with one serious expression. They squeezed together through the dancing crowd, aiming for the stairs. As they both reached the first step Tony noticed Happy in the crowd and whistled with a free hand at him.

"Get them all out!" he shouted and without waiting for Happy's response he almost dragged Pepper upstairs. Tony could swear he saw a glint of disappointment on his driver's face, when they were halfway upstairs.

Next, another obstacle appeared in form of two figures Tony left there. He was unable to handle himself these annoying, imposing girls that had tricked their way with him to the bedroom. He tightened his grip on Pepper's hand, feeling like a complete idiot. Tony saw the grimace on her face and knew there had to be a complete chaos inside his girl's mind right now (_what else to call her?_, Tony thought. She wasn't his lover yet, nor only his assistant anymore). He also knew that one mistake could ruin his way with Pepper letting him love her. So he choose to act quickly.

"Girls, you know where the exit is, right?" he asked in a cheerful tone and pushed Pepper into his bedroom with playfully placed hand on her bum. "Chop, chop," he added, as he followed her inside, but saw that the confused girls haven't moved. Then he closed the milky glass doors with a slight thump.

"Sorry about that. This was the earlier problem," Tony said to Pepper, who's been standing in the middle of the room, fixing him with her eyes. If Tony could ever think of circumstances under he would fall in love, then Pepper, standing in the light of the moon with messy hair and a tangled up uniform, definitely did the charm.

"I don't wanna hear that really," she whispered and approached him, kicking her high heels off on the way.

Tony wanted, no, needed for them to take things slowly, let him do and enjoy the love-making. However, Pepper apparently had other plans that clearly involved him losing his pants right away. As their mouths found each other's again, her fingers started to search obsessively for his belt buckle. Tony's fingers found hers and paused her actions but did not pull her hand away.

"Pepper," he murmured into her ear, "will you let me love you tonight?"

"Yes," she moaned, feeling his tongue leave a wet trail on her neck.

"Will you not freak out in the morning?"

She answered with a muffled growl, coming from the bottom of her lungs. Tony took that as another "yes" and released her fingers on his belt. "Then suit yourself," he finally said and cupped her butt in both of his hands.

Somewhere far away first sounds of car engine's started.

###

The sound of piercing silence woke Pepper up. This sound, of no sounds really, unleashed the inevitable – the killer headache. As she risked a first blink of eyes, she noticed the time on the darkened windows - 5:03 AM.

It was a Saturday's early morning, and she had no else place to be, but Pepper felt enormously incongruous and disturbed at the moment anyway. How could she feel so regretful and joyful at once? How could she feel so painful with a naked Tony Stark, sleeping soundly on his stomach, by her side? Why only thing she could think about was how she could let herself go like that, when her beloved's face was buried in her neck, his hand possessively claiming her stomach?

How could they use no protection?

Pepper groaned quietly, remembering the passion of recent night that silenced last calls of reason. Although her lover was just inches away, she felt hot inside just at the memory.

Suddenly the need for more space took over her. For fresh air and a big cup of coffee, too.

Moving delicately Tony's hand and his thorax, pinning her breasts tightly, wasn't easy, but Pepper managed to stand up without waking the sleepyhead Tony was.

An uncontrolled smile slipped onto her face, as she looked around the room for her clothes. Her shoes, lying in the middle of the bedroom, reminding her of the first time against the wall; his shirt, barely hanging itself on the bathroom door's handle, bringing back the image of the third in the hot shower, after she started sneezing like crazy (go standing on the terrace on such a windy night); the still a little damp bedclothes evidencing something around the fifth, not just an hour ago.

Pepper completed all pieces of her clothing, and as she looked at herself in the bathroom's mirror a thought occurred her that she might had never been as red on her face as now. All because of her boss.

Yikes, right. _Her boss._ She gulped another bump, which appeared somewhere in her gullet. What has she done?

She exited the bathroom to take a careful look at this boss of hers. Tony hadn't moved an inch, still being on his stomach, hugging the pillows like they were Pepper. He looked so peaceful and... happy. Fulfilled even.

Somewhere down Pepper knew she was one of few, if not only, that have seen him like this. After all, he wasn't the first one leaving now, like he always used to, when he had done what he needed.

This thought, about his past conquests, gave her the feeling of failure more than before.

It took her a couple of minutes to track down a piece of paper and some pen in the bedroom. Another, though now kind of sad, smile forced its way to her lips, when she grabbed both items from a nightstand filled up with the strangest of, some finished, some not, electronic stuff and tools. All Tony.

Writing a letter of resignation against the wall, with her eyes continuously sneaking to deep in sleep Tony, was one of a hell achievement.

_Dear Tony,_

No.

_Sir,_

Even worse.

_Mr Stark,_

_I, Virginia Potts, resign the position of Stark Industries CEO's Personal Assistant with immediate effect, due to my enormous lack of professionalism and required behavior. In accordance to the contract, notice period is nonexistent._

_Sincerely,_

_Virginia Potts_

For a moment or two of staring blankly at the words she just scribbled on the paper, Pepper considered adding a postscript saying "I'm sorry". Finally, she resisted the idea and placed the piece of paper on the nightstand, refusing to give it a second look.

Then she tiptoed with her shoes in a hand for exit, realizing how, for the first time, she was unable to face something. Something that was, in her opinion, certain. All at once, she couldn't bear the obvious. It was the end, she lost in this game.

Now Virginia Potts knew it was herself that she needed to clean up after, one last time.

###

If Tony could ever think of circumstances under he would feel rejected, then an empty bed and a short note on his nightstand definitely worked perfectly.

He woke up from the best night sleep he had in years and was about to get back cozy with his red-head, who apparently in her sleep traveled in the bed too far from his body. He reached with his hand for her without opening his eyes yet. As his fingers found nothing beside him, he felt his heart skip a beat.

He couldn't have imagined all of that.

Tony opened his eyes immediately and rose his head, looking around. A small hope got him that maybe she was downstairs or in the bathroom. But then he spotted the note on his nightstand, filled with her handwriting. Tony sat up and caught the paper right away.

_Mr Stark... I resign... lack of professionalism..._

Words she wrote were flashing before his eyes, crashing the images of them two, tangled up in each other. He growled and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Tony knew it could go like this and was too slow to prevent it, played it out totally wrong. He couldn't forgive himself for letting her believe he took advantage of her, when she was miserable and drunk. All he wanted was to show her his feelings, make her better. It turned out totally contrary to his intentions.

Of course she freaked out.

Right now Tony Stark was the biggest idiot he personally knew himself.

He crumpled the paper in his hand and headed downstairs to get himself a glass of water for his dry as chips tongue. One superficial look around the messy, post-party living room, and the lack of Pepper hit him even more.

Tony grabbed a whole bottle of water from the kitchen, and as he headed for the couch he commanded JARVIS to dial Pepper's number.

'The number you're calling is temporarily unavailable' sounded through his living room. How predictable.

A deep sigh escaped his mouth and he ruffled his hair. Now what?

"JARVIS, is she home at least?" Tony asked, shaking leftovers of salted peanuts off the couch.

"She is."

Then a sound of ringing phone interrupted his thoughts about rushing for Pepper's apartment at once. For one bit of a second Tony believed it might be Pepper calling back. It was not.

"Tony, our sources are telling us that there's gonna be a weapon exchange somewhere in Wakhan soon," Rhodey informed. Hearing no response from his friend he called out for him, "Tony? Tony!"

"Yeah, yeah," Tony only responded, thinking that those bastards couldn't have chosen worse time for their evil plans.

"What's up with you? You're going or what?" Rhodey asked impatiently.

"Going, I'm on my way," Tony sighed and headed for the basement, but not to get his car for. To suit up.

"And Tony? Remember, you do not know this from me," were Rhodey's last words before hanging up.

Tony had to use his all strengths to shift himself into the superhero mode. On his way out he told JARVIS to leave messages for Pepper everywhere he could that he needed to talk with her.

###

Well this is not good, Pepper thought, sitting on her bathroom floor, a couple of positive pregnancy tests and a tissue box companions in her woe.

Karma, or whatever it was, was being a total bitch.

This couldn't go like this. No, no, no, no. No. This couldn't go like this because she simply decided so.

Pepper decided she'd run as fast as possible anywhere. This wasn't her normal self, facing everything. This was her being scared as hell of what has she done, who has she become.

And now she couldn't do her 'run as fast as possible' thing, being all in a quite complicated relation with the toilet seat.

"I hate you, you goddamned martinis," she wailed, leaning against the wall. "No. I hate you, Stark," Pepper corrected herself and covered her eyes with a hand.

The same moment her Blackberry started buzzing on the cupboard beside her. Without looking at it she was sure it was JARVIS, sending her another message to contact him. He's been doing that for 6 days now. Tony for sure told him to. Why it wasn't Tony himself? Because he was playing a goddamned hero somewhere in a goddamned desert or in the mountains or whatever. She saw it on TV. There was no way he would be calling her right now, spanking some bad guys.

This made her feel like vomiting more.

Annoyed Pepper looked at the phone finally and was surprised to see it was Rhodey calling.

"I'm no longer his assistant, I don't know what he's doing or wherever he is," she greeted him in a mean voice.

"But I do. I'm actually calling about that leaving thing. JARVIS told me. What's going on Pepper?" Rhodey asked.

Pepper couldn't hold a sigh and a roll of her eyes. "Oh please. Don't tell me Tony hasn't told you yet, all proud and cocky."

Then she was surprised with his honest response. "Well, he did not, and from what I see he doesn't want to. Actually, there was a bit too little time to discuss with him anything for the past week, you know. He was quite busy."

"Was? What do you mean was?" Pepper squealed, feeling a nasty (and stupid) pinch in her chest.

"Well, he's on his way home just as we're talking. I'm really proud of that son of a bitch. Which brings me back to what has he done to you, Pepper? I'm sure that whatever it was he didn't mean it, you know that jerk too well."

"We had sex," Pepper blurted out, closing her eyes again. How do you not mean sex?

There was a moment of shocked silence on the Rhodey's side, before he shot his questions again. "Did he made you? Was he drunk and intrusive? I'm gonna kill him."

"No, no, Rhodey. He did not. He was... kind of perfect..."

"Then what's wrong?"

She heaved an another sigh. "It was a crazy, drunken mistake, Rhodey. And, please, can we finish the subject-"

"No, we can not. You were drunk with him before. Okay, maybe not that often, but it have happened, right? Then why now, what changed-" Rhodey interrupted her, just to be interrupted himself in a moment.

"Nothing changed, and if you want me to come back as his PA-"

"Pepper, pull yourself together! I'm not talking about the stupid job, I'm talking about your feelings. I've seen the look, I've seen the staring you've been giving to him. I think you're into him."

"Oh," Pepper gasped, "for the love of... This-this is ridiculous. And unprofessional," she screeched, stuttering her favorite word out. "I am not."

"Please don't leave, you're his everything. You're the reason he's still in one piece. Don't do this denial thing."

"I'm not," Pepper snorted, repeating herself. Irritation grew inside her.

"At least talk to him before you decide on anything. Really, really please."

"Rhodey... It's more complicated than that," she howled, holding up one of the tests. Damn pluses, double lines or whatever.

"You've been a part of our both lives for some time. You don't get to leave like this. Pleeaasee don't leave like this."

Pepper gave up hearing this worried tone of Rhodey's. "Okay, I'll talk to him." Another sigh.

"Thank you."

She ended the connection and stood up to brush her teeth. She'd give Tony Stark the conversation of his life.

###

Oh, this is just perfect. Six. Six lousy days.

In fact, seven almost, if you include the time for transportation. If not an energy refill and a couple of warmer meals at friend's of Rhodey unit, he would be in the middle of deep crap called nowhere. Tony really needed to find all of these Ten Ring's related terrorists before their tracks could be destroyed and before they would dissolve into the tricky mountains along with the trucks filled to the brim. Plus, being on mercy of Army's fleet to take him home, just because his batteries had run out, wasn't the best option he would choose. On the other hand Tony prevented quite a weapon delivery spread from happening, so they should give him a big credit for doing something what they couldn't and he didn't have to. Sure, he wasn't doing this legally really, but those were the times that politics brought to.

What troubled him more was the fact that apart from Stark Industries guns, which he was nearly sure to be leftovers, there were new kind of mines he couldn't recognize, and JARVIS described them as of Russian origin. It was very worrying, but not as important as him being at the edge of his power.

So there was no surprise when the first thing he thought about after landing in his garage was a long, hot bath and at least 10 hours of good sleep. Oh, and then he'd order a pizza or two. Awful coffee at the base gave Tony only one of a hell heartburn, and quick naps in the suit, which he couldn't take off without help of his robots or at least tools, added an awful neck pain to his trouble. At least Elliott's soldiers were much more supportive for Ironman with his help than Army's authorities.

With last gather of strengths Tony was bravely standing on the platform in his garage, eyes half-closed, as the robots went on with their task to peel the armor pieces off. Then JARVIS announced that the initial scan of the suit shows damages at the rate of 16%. Somehow Tony got through with a couple of bruises only.

The moment that last piece was taken off falling right away onto his face seemed sure, but then Tony felt something warm hold him up.

A heavy blink of eyes and he recognized this face right away.

Pepper.

"Oh, you smell terribly," she announced after one sniff and placed his arm around her, so he could stand up.

"What are you doing here? You left." Tony tried to look into her eyes and immediately moaned, walking being a definitely hard activity without the suit.

"I saw in the news that you're coming back," she answered quietly and Tony already knew she was lying. "You're really going over the top, you know." Pepper avoided his questioning stare.

"That's the story, when you choose to sacrifice for the nations," he answered, his voice sounding much cockier than he expected it to be. "It wasn't that bad. A couple of hours of sleep and I'll be good as new."

Pepper snorted incredulously only and made sure they had balance when they reached the elevator. While they were standing in its small room, Tony breathed in Pepper's scent as much imperceptibly as he could. This- This meant home, he thought and leaned into her more.

His eyelids kept falling down, but Tony couldn't miss the fact she was wearing a really sloppy ponytail, a pair of loose jeans and a t-shirt. So much unlike his professional Pepper. He liked it though.

When they finally got to the bathroom, she seated him on the chair, letting him work on the material suit himself, while she let the hot water pour into the bath. Tony threw the suit to the ground and forced himself to move to the bath, while Pepper automatically turned her head away from his totally naked body. She had seen him like this, but this time Tony knew it was different.

With a slight plop he sat in the warm water and felt circulation work back in his legs for the first time since quite long. As his muscles relaxed at last, his focus got again to Pepper, standing with her back to him, arms folded.

"I left you a message to call me."

"I know, JARVIS bombarded my e-mails and telephones," Pepper growled.

"Why did you leave, Pepper?" Tony asked, true sadness sounding in his tone.

"Isn't that what a woman's supposed to do in the morning?" she answered with a question and narrowed her eyes, as she turned to him.

"That was not like this. And you know this. You promised to not freak out."

"I made no such thing. I recall it well," Pepper said bitterly, something torturing her seriously. "It was a mistake, Mr Stark, and for that I'm sorry. I let myself off guard."

"Cut the 'Mr Stark' crap, Pepper. Is that what you came for here only? To tell me it was a mistake? You shouldn't have bothered," Tony snapped and tilted his head back, closing eyes.

Pepper remained silent for a long moment, staring at the wall before her, fighting with herself again as if to tell him. "I think I'm pregnant, Tony," she burst out and covered her eyes with a hand. Now it was Tony's turn to remain silent due to his shock. "I've spent my last 10 years on preventing such a thing, and yet this is me that I prevented it not. I always thought I am this better, aware person. That this cannot happen to me, not like this anyway. How ironic," Pepper snorted and lifted her head, rolling her eyes. "Apparently I'm no different that the others. I don't expect anything from you. I don't want that really. I just thought I should let you know," she mumbled out and left a speechless superhero in his bath.

#

Of course she was gone. Tony asked JARVIS to be sure, but he already knew Pepper told him what she wanted to and left. Without giving him any chance to react.

"What time is it?" he asked, leaning against the wall in his bedroom and rubbing his eyes tiredly. He walked out of the bathroom in such a rush he hadn't dried his hair at all, so little drops kept falling onto his nose.

"Quarter past ten, sir," JARVIS replied and unveiled one window, showing Tony sun shining at its best.

"Right," he murmured and hit his head against the cool surface of the wall, looking blankly through that window.

Man, a baby. Something he'd normally run away as soon as possible from. Not that he had to. As his assistant Pepper always made sure he was prepared for everything, condoms included into this.

Poor Pepper. And her nerves out of steel.

But now what? He never thought of himself as a father, someone to look up to. Neither he really planned it, knowing it might just be better that way. But it was when he was shortsighted, minding his only own pleasures, when he didn't know what he wanted from life.

Did he know now?

What does a father do anyway? Should he act like his one? No, that would be just cold, and he'd be easily back on the selfish note. Howard Stark never was the warmest, involved person, but Tony didn't know much about different ways of father upbringing a child. Of course, there was his mother that was spoiling him every time she could, but this important father-son relation was limited only to hours of austere studying quantum physics or constructing.

Suddenly Tony felt dazed, blackness taking control over his eyes. He didn't know what to think, he couldn't really think right now. He threw himself onto the bed, physically and mentally worn out.

#

It felt like he was asleep for 10 minutes only, when JARVIS woke Tony up to announce Rhodey at his doorstep.

"What?" dressed only in a pair of boxers Tony opened the doors and barked at his friend. He had to narrow his eyes to adjust himself to the simple function of sight. Somewhere deep he still was in the NREM stage of sleep.

"Happy birthday!" Rhodey cheered, sarcasm dripping his words.

"What? To who?" Tony asked, trying to get his mind working.

"To me, thank you very much for remembering," Rhodey answered and pushed through Tony into the living room. "Sweet baby Jesus, what the hell happened here?" he asked pointing at the remaining evidences of the party.

"I didn't have the time to call for some cleaning services," Tony said, yawning and walked after his friend, scratching his head.

Rhodey rose an eyebrow. "I'm not so sure that if you had the time you would know how to anyway. Where's Pepper?" he questioned innocently.

"Well... Um... she's not here."

"Right. Did you get enough sleep?"

"Mmm," Tony hesitated, counting the hours. "I think so."

"I can't believe I'm making you celebrate my own damn birthday." Rhodey shook his head. "Go, get yourself dressed. We're going out," he commanded.

And suddenly Tony haven't felt the greatest about the idea. He wanted to go and talk to Pepper. However he couldn't say no to Rhodey, he already screwed up.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Tony replied, putting on his best smile.

#

It was an awful idea to come with Rhodey. He had to think about so many things, sort them out, and currently he was stuck in a night club filled up with half naked girls and totally trashed military pals.

Tony was standing on the balcony in the middle of the club, with his arms leaning on the railing, looking down at the dancing crowd. Or at least trying, with all these flashing green and blue lights his tiredness could become an epilepsy.

This is not a place for someone who's got a woman pregnant and still haven't spoke his mind about that. He still didn't know what to think and regretted he didn't have a 'reset' button that would help him to clear his mind. Tony had already wasted a half of perfectly fine scotch drink, deciding it wasn't getting him anywhere near clear thinking and this 'reset' button he needed.

"Is it me, or you're all red over your face?" Rhodey asked, joining him on the balcony. He titled his head, gazing into Tony's face. "It's so shiny," he added in admiration, reaching with his hand for Tony's face. Tony dashed it away and rose an eyebrow.

"You're drunk," he laughed.

Rhodey nodded his head miserably. "Yeeeeah. It's new right? Me being drunk and you not? Why aren't you drunk?" Rhodey questioned, prolonging the vowels in a drunken way.

"I'm still on the fighting high, thank you very much," Tony replied, being partly honest, but avoiding the real reason.

His friend nodded once more, before he put a hand to his head and moaned, "I think I need to sit down."

"Do you need a ride home?" Tony asked and followed Rhodey to the couches, where a couple of girls were currently 'disarming' some officers. "I can drive you home," he declared and ordered the sparingly dressed waitress to bring some water.

"No, no," Rhodey refused and sat down, waving with his hand. "I'll be fine. I promised I'll..." he started, but was interrupted by sudden ninja attack of a nap.

"Just great," Tony muttered under his nose.

"Is your friend okay, Mr Stark?" the waitress, back with the glass of water, inquired.

"Yeah, yeah. I forgot he gets narcoleptic when he drinks vodka." Tony ruffled his hair and pointed at Rhodey with one hand. "It's a good sign though," he added, seeing her concerned look. "It means his body is regenerating, believe me."

Then her worried look became all too friendly, when she, listening intently, placed the glass on the table. "Oh, well. Is there anything I could get you then?" she asked and moved closer to Tony, invading his personal space. The space he needed so much right now. He tried a step back but was detained by the, covered with black, squishy material, wall.

Tony's persona was hanging at exact moment somewhere in the middle of who he used to be and who he was for the last couple of days. Was he scared of the second option? Was all of work on himself wasted? Was he in doubt? He did love Pepper, didn't he?

His mouth wouldn't let him speak a word, as the girl got so close that he could read her name on the badge pinned to her little shirt.

Hello Mariah.

TBC

* * *

Thank you for reading. :)


	2. Goodbye Maria

A.N.: My education is as far away as possible from biology-medical stuff so today's and next episodes are sponsored by wikipedia again and help from my awesome friend, who, unlike me, was born to be a doctor. I know I said it was to be a one-shot, two-shot thingy, but I feel it might take another one or two chaps to go. Plus, no offense to any names! ;)

* * *

His lips couldn't stop moving, though he felt something in a shape of a knot in place of his tongue. As his mind went blank, Tony pushed her into the edge of the wall more. His right hand found her silky cheek, the left one holding her waist firmly.

Tony needed this like nothing before, needed this woman, and he couldn't care less that they were in public, risking anyone seeing them. All that mattered was feeling her warm breasts pinned against him, separated from his chest by the materials of their shirts; her small moans and murmurs in desperate gasps between the kisses; her whole body that finally realized and accepted Tony Stark was there, kissing her with amazing passion.

It was just that sexy, and Tony thought he never felt more turned on, immediately deciding he should do it more often. That was it - nothing obscene, nothing meaningless. Just this overbearing feeling of freedom. That was the feeling he survived 3 months in a cave for.

Some moments later she pushed him away with a hand on his chest, every next kiss obviously troubling her breathing.

Tony was totally fuddled by all mix of these sensations, and on the spur of the moment his mouth slipped a name in a murmur. "Pepper," he breathed heavily, closing his eyes.

Woman's eyes opened wide, like she wasn't sure she heard right, but she did. "Yes, Mr Stark?" she asked, not really aware of what just happened.

"Let's go inside," Tony said and caught her hand in a strong grip. "There are things we gotta talk about," he added, but as much as he needed this conversation, Tony had to make it before anyone catches them snogging like a pair of teenagers too.

'Okay' was what a dazed Pepper whispered only and pulled him inside the apartments lobby.

#

_Mariah. Mariah, Marie, Maria. Maria._

_Tony didn't know why, but he began this name analysis game in his head. Anything to ease the rattle of thoughts inside his skull._

_Maria, a name that meant a world to him. The name of his mother. At times like these he really regretted she wasn't with him anymore to advice him. Or, though Pepper partly had been trying to do that, knock some sense into him. _

_Because he still was standing there, feeling enchanted, and the seconds seemed pass like ages as Mariah, the brunette waitress, was getting close him. Where's the answer to his problems in this?_

_Does a future father act like that?_

_The moment that girl's lips touched Tony's, he felt a sudden, amazing feeling of how he was in the charge of choosing the type of father he wanted to be. Of what what person he wanted to be. That he was the rider in the saddle of his life. And he felt even more cheerful knowing at the exact moment that he'd be this parent to spoil the future baby Stark with love. Along with its mother._

_Now he had to know if she was keeping it. She was, wasn't she? He had to be sure._

_Because Tony Stark might have felt ready to be a father. _

_He pushed this Mariah girl off right away._

"_Wha-? Did I do something wrong?" she asked, totally not seeing a reaction like this one coming._

"_No, that would be me, being here," Tony replied and grasped her shoulders in his hands. "Thank you, Mariah."_

"_F-For what?" Mariah stuttered, felling totally ridiculous._

"_Making me realize I'm in love for reals," he said, giving her a flat smile. He was about to step away when she stopped him with another question._

"_With who?"_

"_Don't worry, not with you. That would be strange and inconvenient, right?" Tony laughed and frowned, getting back into his gleeful mood. Hello old friend, self-confidence. He took out his wallet and gave the brunette two banknotes of one hundred dollars. "Send the drunken jubilant here home when he wakes up," he ordered her, nodding with his head towards the sleeping on the couch Rhodey. "Can you do that?"_

_Mariah nodded her head only. Tony barely saw that movement in the darkness of the club._

_Then he was off to out-talk his lovely, yet stubborn, ginger. He left the club and reached his car in such an amok that Tony barely registered his tracks. As he turned the engine on and pulled into the street, Tony's thoughts were filled now with only one name. Nickname really._

_Pepper, Pepper, Pepper._

_The same woman that kept him in line for last couple of years, did all the donkey work for him, cared for him._

_He parked next to the pavement, right in front of her apartment block entrance. Two, three hops and he was by the intercom already. He had to give JARVIS a quick call to ask him about Pepper's flat number._

_Tony patted '32' into the device and waited for an answer waggling impatiently._

"_Yes?" a sleepy voice greeted him after two minutes of intercom ringing._

"_Pepper, it's me," Tony burst out._

"_To-ohny?" Pepper asked and let out a yawn she couldn't suppress. "It's 2 in the morning, what are you doing? Are you okay?"_

Shiiiit,_ Tony thought. Of course it was 2 AM. He just got out of a night club for Christ's sake and was on such a high of all his feelings, he didn't realize it was so late. Pepper, being all pregnant-exhausted and annoyed with him, definitely would be asleep._

"_I'm so sorry," he started babbling. "I'm sorry for hurting you unwittingly, but I'm not sorry for what happened, because I love you."_

_A long moment of silence from the device almost got Tony believe she hanged up. Finally she replied._

"_Tony, I'm gonna go out to you, I can't hear a thing what you're saying."_

_Great. She's not letting him in, she's coming down to him._

"_Are you drunk?" was the first question Pepper asked, when she appeared. She haven't moved closer to him, leaning against the entrance door. Her hair was tied into two a little messy braids, making her look like Pippi Longstocking, and she was wearing loose sweatpants and a big hoodie. Tony immediately thought about who they used to be to each other, and about how he knew he wanted to be with that adorable red-head. She was the first woman he thought of as 'adorable' since... ever. Every woman before her was alluring in a cheeky, superficial way. Virginia Potts made him crave for her with one innocent look only._

_Not finding suitable words to express himself, Tony approached her with the speed of lightening and pinned her to the wall with his hands on her waist, his lips finding her mouth in an incomprehensible need._

#

"So..." Pepper started, as soon as they entered her apartment, even before she closed the doors after Tony.

Now, standing with her face-to-face, Tony wasn't such a daredevil he was just minutes ago. "Can we sit?" he asked, and Pepper nodded with her head, leading him for the kitchen.

Tony did remember Pepper's home, but it was much more of a blur. A couple of his previous visits here were mostly caused by his drunken state. Back then the apartment seemed much more... spacious. Now it seemed cozy, but still tiny.

"Don't I pay you enough?" Tony blurted out, when he sat by the kitchen table, looking around.

"Excuse me? You woke me up in the middle of the night to talk about salary of my ex-job?" Pepper questioned, narrowing her eyes and leaned with her bottom against the worktop. "Why haven't you called Happy if you're drunk and can't drive? Why did you drive?"

"Pepper, I'm not drunk," he grunted. "I don't understand it why you live in that cupboard."

"It has its climate," she replied. "Where's Rhodey?"

"I took care of Rhodey."

"Somehow I doubt that," she said and looked at the ceiling.

"Okay, I'm gonna need you to get back into your better, kissable mood, because I'm not good at this stuff, and you- you won't let me say what I'm here for," Tony shot back.

"Suit yourself," Pepper answered with sarcasm, repeating his own words from over a week before.

"When we saw each other today-"

"Yesterday," she interrupted.

"Right, yesterday," Tony corrected himself and pulled on his tie. She wasn't making it any better at all. "Well, yesterday you gave me no chance to react, and to tell you the truth I was surprised, strongly really, and then I was thinking about all of that, and then Rhodey came and I couldn't-"

"Is this going anywhere?" frustrated Pepper asked, folding her arms.

"Yes, yes," Tony breathed, trying to stop his hands from gesticulating, "and then there was this girl at the club that kissed me and-"

"She what?" Pepper frowned unexpectedly, though Tony saw that she didn't want to show that. That foxy woman tried to run away from him, and still she couldn't hold her jealousy back.

"-and I repulsed her, 'cause I knew already that I love you, not have just some sort of a thing for you. I tried to tell you the moment you answered the intercom," Tony said finally and fell silent.

Pepper remained quiet, looking at him with a blank stare.

"Please, Pepper, don't get rid of the baby Stark, I know I'm a crappy father figure, but I am as much responsible for this and I really, really promise you I want to do all of that baby thing with you," he added in another piece of babble, jittering about no reaction from her.

"Get... rid? What are you talking about? I would never..." Pepper trailed off. "It's not the best idea you know... a superhero with lousy morale, addictions too... and a baby." She fell silent again.

"I promise I'll do my best." Tony kept looking at Pepper's face, trying to decode any emotion there. "How about 'I love you too, Tony' or 'get the hell out of my home, right now'?"

"I already told you everything. My life was settled, Tony..." Pepper finally replied. "And though I'm a thirty-something woman I still wanted the perfect husband and the baby..." she sighed, avoiding his stare. "Now I know I was living, hanging, waiting for God knows what." Her eyes found his after this sentence. "Somewhere deep I loved you for so long I unconsciously waited for a sign, anything from your side, knowing it won't be ever the perfect family with you as I dreamed. And now we did what we did, totally backwards, you being you. We should have sex. And fun. And dates. Not this serious discussions about our future, about the baby, when no one of us is prepared for that," she sniffed. "Jesus, I'm wailing like an idiot." She reddened all over her face saying those words.

"Yes on the sex part. Nothing's lost," Tony cheered and sat up immediately, catching her sides in his hands. "Pepper, do you still love me?"

"Yes," she answered and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, then I think we have everything settled." Tony checked his watch. 2:34 AM. "Good pregnant mommies should be already asleep."

"Stop monkeying, Daddy," Pepper said ironically and rolled her eyes once more. She took his hand and leaded them for the bedroom.

Tony could tell there was a little garden outside her ground floor apartment's terrace doors. However, her tiny apartment lost his interest as they both got him out of his coat, shirt and trousers. When they were done Tony caught Pepper's lips in a brief kiss. She replied with one, unsure smile only. Then they both got into the bed, muffling themselves with a quilt, Pepper's head against Tony's chest. He shifted a bit to hit the light switch.

"Just don't freak out and run in the morning, okay?"

Pepper snickered into his undershirt. "It's my apartment, Mr Stark."

#

"Ugh," Tony grunted, moving his head slowly from left to right and backwards. A loud buzzing of a telephone vibrating woke him up. "Peps," he murmured and shook her shoulder slightly, "is that your phone?"

"Yep," she moaned. She emerged from under his arm and muffled quilt to lean over Tony. Without leaving his chest she answered the phone. "Yes? Oh, hello Dr Blanco. No, you didn't wake me."

Tony reached for his watch on the nightstand, which was saying it was 8:16 in the morning and rolled his eyes. Pepper nudged his side, seeing him making a face, and narrowed her eyes.

"The results? It can't wait? Ok, well then, I'll try to be at your office in an hour." She threw the Blackberry back onto the nightstand and was about to jump out of the bed when Tony stopped her with his left hand on her back.

"What was that about?" he asked, his other hand sneaking its way up her stomach.

"It was my gynecologist," she answered as Tony pouted. "I had to make some tests and the results came back. She says she needs to talk to me right away."

"Tests? Didn't you pee on the stick or something?"

"I did. But that's an early stage, Tony. We were not sure."

"Is our little guy fine?" Tony asked concerned.

"Or girl," Pepper sighed, pulling a hand to her face. "I don't know, she told me nothing but for me to come. But she didn't sound worried, I think."

"Good. Do we have time for shower?" Tony questioned, yawning, but then he rose his head to place a couple of butterfly kisses onto her neck.

"I have to go," Pepper growled quietly in disapproval.

"I'll drive you," he offered, sliding his left hand now inside her sweatpants.

"I can drive myself," Pepper answered, but her voice was faltering already. "You'd have to do better than that. Make some sandwiches as I shower. I know you can." She got up and hopped already into the bathroom.

"Aw, c'mon!"

"Patience is a virtue, Mr Stark," she laughed from behind the door.

Tony stayed in the bed for a couple more minutes, giving into the sweet smell of Pepper's perfume she left in it, looking around the room becoming brighter and brighter with sun reaching the windows. Finally he managed to drag himself out, and still yawing he headed for the kitchen. Then he stopped in his tracks, feeling chilly and turned round for bathroom. Without further ado Tony opened the doors.

"Hey, do you have a pair of my jeans and a t-shirt around here maybe?" he asked in a merry voice, but his little smile faded as he noticed Pepper hugging the toilet. "Oh boy. I will definitely drive you."

"I'm fine," Pepper uttered and reached for another tissue. "Check the left side of bedroom wardrobe."

"I wasn't asking," Tony stated and crouched beside her, holding up her hair as she choked once more. "That's a definite me driving you."

"Fine, whatever," merely satisfied Pepper growled, but took a towel from Tony anyway.

"I guess you don't feel like eating?"

"No." Pepper closed her eyes and smiled flatly. "I'll put myself together. Go, eat something and get dressed."

Tony nodded his head and left the bathroom. He treated his face with a flush of water in the kitchen, he found his old jeans and an AC/DC shirt on the top shelf of the wardrobe, somewhere in between Pepper's collection of handbags, and finally made a quickie and simple cheese sandwich. It didn't do without the victims, as Tony clumsily sliced the bread, injuring his finger with that.

"Ouch." He put the victim-finger into his mouth.

"Do you need adult supervision next time?" Pepper asked laughingly, standing in the doors in a towel only, leaning with her elbow against the door jamb. "Are you ready?"

"Ready steady. And you?" Tony studied her face. She looked refreshed.

It took her just 3 minutes to jump into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt herself, Tony watching her while sitting on the bed, consuming his sandwich opus.

"Could this get any more homely than that?" He smiled truly at her.

"Ooh, you're a fan of homeish stuff now?" Pepper laughed. She grabbed her handbag with door keys, he took his car keys from yesterday's jacket, and both of them left the apartment for his car.

Something boiled up inside Tony as he noticed a paparazzi on the other side of the street, hiding behind a van. What did he expect? Leaving there one of his cars with its famous "Stark" tag on the license plate unfortunately worked for them. He regretted now his need for attention.

"You know, I've been thinking," Tony started as he opened the passenger doors for Pepper. He paused his thought for a second until he walked around the car and got into the driver's seat. "Is Maria fine for a girl?"

"It's really nice, I guess," Pepper answered, smiling to herself, obviously not noticing the photographer. If she did, she'd be in a completely different mood. And she really was thinking that maybe it wouldn't be that, when they had each other to help. "We've still got a lot of time. Go for University Hospital."

"Hospital? I thought these guys have private practices or something." Tony gulped. It wasn't that he didn't like doctors, profession as many other. But hospital's area made him freak with unpleasant memories.

"And so Gina does, but at weekends she does the hospital shift," Pepper replied, rummaging through her bag in search for something.

"What about Clare?" Tony asked casually and pulled onto the road.

"Mmm... no."

"Evelyn?"

"Definite no. I thought we both liked the Maria."

"I do. I'm just asking, it's the first time I can choose a name for something alive really. We'll get to the boys' in a moment. Cherry?"

Pepper looked at him with eyebrow rose. "I'm not giving a birth to a slut, Tony."

"Now, don't be judgy, Potts."

"I'm not judgy, I just happened to go to ordinary schools unlike you, and I know how names perfectly match the characters," she said and shook her head. "How do you come up with those names anyway? I thought you were bad with names."

Tony shrugged. "I am. If you'd put a random person from my life in front of me and asked for his name, I probably wouldn't have told who's who. But everybody knows a couple of common names."

"Right," Pepper murmured and sunk into her seat more.

"Unless it was a tall, judgy red-head," Tony scoffed. "I wouldn't really forget her dignified name."

Tony looked at her from the corner of his eye. Pepper was looking out the window, smiling. He could really get used to this, just them, playfully chit-chatting, no work. Just them with each other.

"Will you wait?" Pepper asked, when they got into the parking.

"You're kidding?" Tony was already unbelting himself. "It's the baby Stark you're gonna talk about. I need to be there."

"As you wish," she answered and got out of the car.

Tony caught up with her and his hand found hers immediately. Pepper grunted but didn't shook it off.

"Aren't you stubborn or what?" he said and opened with the other hand doors for her.

"Not everything comes that easily, you should learn that by now. She said she'll be in her office till 10 AM." Pepper leaded him through the hospital full of people gaping at them, gripping his hand firmly back. Finally they found the office, but as Pepper was about to knock on the doors she asked, "You ready?"

"Pepper, I'm not a kid, you outta see your obgyn, we go see the obgyn. Relax."

"Ho-key," she breathed and knocked on the wooden doors. As soon as she heard 'come in' from the other side of the doors, Pepper dragged Tony after herself into the room. Standing in the middle of Gynecology hospital wing with a superhero by her side was quite awkward.

"Morning, Dr Blanco," Pepper said and let Tony's hand. "I'm here as you asked."

"Oh, hello Virginia, I'm glad you came so early," the doctor said in a polite voice and walked over to them from behind the desk to shake hands with them. She was an aged woman, and Tony could swear she wanted to smile but refrained. "I see you brought the boyfriend."

"Oh, well," Pepper mumbled and reddened a bit over her face. "He wouldn't take it any other way."

Tony looked around the room, now feeling a bit uncomfortable. The gynecological chair looking like a freaky instrument of torture. A lot of vagina talk must have happened here.

"I'm not going to mince around, Ms Potts," Dr Blanco admitted and gave both of them a flat smile, as she seated herself. "These results aren't exactly what we expected."

Uh oh. And suddenly Tony felt this nasty pinch in his stomach, hearing the doctor sigh heavily. He just gotten used to the idea, even was happy about it.

"I'm sorry, Virginia, it's almost totally treatable though. Fortunately it's an early stage."

"What is treatable?" confused Tony asked, looking frantically from Pepper to the doctor. Pepper's expression haven't changed from blank one, but he already knew she understood what Gina said.

"It's not pregnancy Mr Stark, it's a form of disease."

Tony could swear his heart stopped right there. "What? And what about the sticks she peed on, the vomiting and the nausea?"

"With this type of cancer it may give a positive result on the test and give symptoms like these and even more."

Tony blinked his eyes. "Cancer?" he whispered and noticed Pepper's face went totally white, but she said no word as before.

Goodbye baby Maria.

TBC

* * *

So much drama, right? I surprised myself even. As always thank you for reading and your reviews. :)


	3. Christine of contention

Here's new portion of drama. I was pleasantly surprised how emotionally you approached the story. Thank you, guys!  
Big credit goes to my friend, Anna, with her medical stuff support. Even bigger gratitude goes to **BlackPuma137** - my new awesome Beta, thanks to her your quality of reading is improved. ;)

**

* * *

**

People kept staring. Staring and staring and staring... And all Tony could do was walk back and forth around the hospital's driveway. When he felt ready, he let out a deep, angry growl and hit a pillar with his fist. Because it was such a nice, sunny fall day; because it started so well just seven hours ago. Now that he was out of his suit he felt the real pain, and he actually needed to feel it. Not only physical kind of it, but also the one of being scared and not being able to do anything. The feeling of losing someone dear to him once again that hunted him so much he felt like crapping his pants with fear.

Pepper was not pregnant, she had choriocarcinoma. This name echoed around in his head like a crazy ping pong ball that wouldn't settle. Choriocarcinoma, choriocarnsin... chrmsmsma... something.

What _the hell_ is that?

"Fuck, fuck and fuck," he swore through his gritted teeth, sitting down on a concrete bench and hided face in his hands. Then he ruffled his hair and fixed his eyes on the hospital doors, still waiting for Pepper, who went to schedule her next appointments in the clinic. Right, the chemo. The word that his mind couldn't accept.

Tony closed his eyes. She haven't said a word to him since they left Dr Blanco's office, except for 'Wait outside' order.

His whole body was screaming inside with emergency sounds, telling him to run. It seemed the easiest way to run, to find himself drunk and in a bed of a random girl without a name. Without cancer. Without him being scared for losing this someone. This pain in the heart was what he used to avoid for decades.

_Everything's going to be fine, the doctor, after all, said that this type of cancer reacts well to chemotherapy,_ he tried to convince himself. However, he already knew it wasn't like that. Nothing was to be like before.

Finally Pepper came through these damn doors and approached him, her face still wearing no expression.

"Pepper," Tony breathed and jumped to his feet.

"I see we've got quite an audience," she interrupted him, looking around at the random pavement spectators and the photographers that weren't even trying to hide themselves anymore.

"Pepper," he repeated himself and caught her handbag-free hand in his.

"You don't have to do this Tony," Pepper said and smiled flatly. What was with these false smiles today? "I know you got excited on the baby and you felt responsible, but just know you don't have to go through this gross stuff..."

Tony looked her in the eyes and at last found some emotions. Resignation and... disappointment. She had been complaining about all the circumstances they had made the potential baby, but eventually she was delighted and got her hopes up. And because all of that she was giving him a dismiss-pass. Because a geek playboy fooling around as superhero and a baby was a bad idea in the beginning. But playboy and cancer girl was... just wrong.

"You're right, I don't have to do this..." he started.

In a moment he had pulled her against himself tightly. Then he kissed her so intensely that his goatee was leaving little red spots on her delicate skin from the pressure of his face on hers. Their tongues touched once and Tony stopped the kiss, smiling broadly, seeing her resistance breaking for the second time in the last 24 hours.

"I'll do more. You'll move in with me, JARVIS will monitor your vitals, and we'll have a lot of awesome sex. Lots of healthy endorphins, am I right or am I right? Sex is recommended then for both of us," he murmured into her ear, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you," Pepper choked into his shoulder.

"We'll have a little Maria or two, don't you worry." Tony knew that nothing like this could be sure, but somehow he needed to make these promises for the future for both of them. He couldn't think of any failure.

"You're the most lovely, caring playboy I know," Pepper answered and pecked his lips, holding onto him even more tightly.

Tony kissed the top of her head and headed them back to his car, holding onto her hand desperately.

#

Two days later Pepper was standing in the middle of the same driveway, fidgeting and looking around nervously. It was quarter past eleven already, and he was nowhere in sight. She didn't take it to heart when Tony promised he'd be here. He probably freaked out and abandoned the idea. Or was on a mission. No, he couldn't be on a mission, he'd call to tell her. Then he freaked out. And what if he was needed at Stark Industries for something? He didn't have a PA now after all. No, he wouldn't give a damn still. Yep, freaked out for sure.

She turned around and was about to enter the hospital when she heard a shout.

"Pepper!" Tony yelled and caught up with her, grasping her shoulder and with a strong hop stopped both of them in tracks. He took a deep breath and exhaled, "I'm sorry. Rhodey- then JARVIS-"

"Why are you panting? What's wrong?" Pepper asked, interrupting his nonsense talk, as they walked through the doors and Tony caught her hand.

"I've got to jump into the suit right after you're finished in here. Rhodey called me about a situation," he answered, when his pulse stabilized. "I'm so sorry. But I'll be here 'til it ends."

"It's okay," she answered and squeezed his hand. "Thank you for your intentions, but I can handle it."

"No, Pepper, you don't get it. I have to be here, without you all these missions would be nothing to me. I need to be here."

Pepper nodded her head only in response.

A couple of minutes later she was sitting in the middle of this scary, white colored room, filled with rachitic people. Tony was bravely sitting by her side, holding her tube-connected hand.

"The guys from board keep calling. I haven't done the faintest thing for the company in weeks," he mused out of nowhere. Probably needed to break the crazy silence. "Any ideas?"

"Hire an assistant to help you."

"A woman?"

Pepper shrugged. "Whoever you want."

"Well I'm thinking now... Blonde or brunette... such a tough decision," he imitated, pretending concern. Then he leaned over some young man, sitting all alone on his left, who was using the chemo on his own. "Hey, you prefer blondies or brunettes, buddy?"

"Tony," Pepper growled. "Behave."

"Well, I don't know," the guy stuttered back, totally confused, like he'd never expected to be asked such a question by Tony Stark himself, in the middle of Oncology wing.

"Neither for me," Tony said and smiled widely. "I love red-heads. You'll find one yourself soon," he added and winked at the man, who smiled back in reply.

"Tooony," Pepper grumbled again, narrowing her eyes. "What are you getting at?"

"Oh, nothing," he shook his head, but seconds later confessed anyway. "Pepper, be my PA again, please."

"I- I can't, in case you haven't noticed I'm in no state-"

"I know, I know what state you're in, and I'm not doing this for my own comfort," Tony defended himself. "Okay, okay, maybe a little," he admitted, seeing Pepper snort. "It's just you're irreplaceable and you already know how I function and... I don't want you to do nothing for days, thinking about this cancer thing. I don't want to see you getting depressed or anything." Tony looked at her unsteadily.

Even if Pepper told herself in thoughts not to overread this act of care - they weren't in that long, stable relationship yet - her heart fluttered with love anyways. "Well, if you need me so," she gave in, trying not to come to light with her joy.

"Awesome. There's this party for Playboy anniversary next week, and I need some ground support then," Tony cheered.

Pepper groaned. "What do you need me for in the middle of a freaking harem?" she asked and put a hand to her eyes. "Are you planning for some business making there?"

"Maybe," Tony smiled mysteriously and lifted her palm a bit to kiss the back of it.

#

What, what in the hell had he dragged her into this for? Did he want to kill her with a view of so many flashing lights and almost naked girls everywhere? It was his thing, not hers.

Pepper looked down at her calf-long black dress and suddenly felt like a pitiable mourner in the middle of a circus that's making fun of her. She'd wear something totally different, only if her forearms hadn't been yellow-purplish from needle stabs. Actually the same happened to her popliteal, because the intern girl, who was taking care of her this morning, was apparently more busy with gaping at Tony than watching out where she sticks the needle into. By the time Tony chided the girl from head to toes and asked (more yelled) for Head of Oncology right away, Pepper's arms looked like junkie's ones already, and the nurse that displaced the clumsy intern had to find and sting a vein on the leg. Then she started to apologize like crazy and in order to sooth Tony a little she scampered for some tea for Pepper, who until then paled alarmingly.

When they came back to the mansion, Pepper tried to persuade him she didn't have to go to the party, and she was giving him a free hand to entertain himself (but not to get too aroused though).

But Tony was adamant and wouldn't take a 'no'.

Hence the only long-sleeved and calf-long dress she owned. Unfortunately black too. Was it from her mother's funeral? Pepper couldn't remember precisely but it felt funeralish. Pretty ironic, huh?

Still she hadn't had the time to go shopping, needing to organize Tony's stuff a bit even (a couple of days she hadn't been his PA and everything was out of order already), and she wouldn't let Tony to send Happy for something for her. Nevertheless, this dress was as classy as eight years before.

_Maybe too classy even,_ Pepper thought looking around the flashy club. Tony, of course, told her she looked stunning and sexy as hell. Filthy liar.

Speaking of him. Did he get lost with her martini in the middle of this can filled with people? Damn déjà vu.

She stepped away from their table and then squeezed herself through the crowd in order to find him. Out of nowhere Pepper felt so small and lonely, she needed some backup from Tony and his 'we're gonna beat the crap out of this cancer's ass' motivating speech. She found him standing rigidly by the bar, his back facing her. Was the queue that long?

"Here you are, I thought you got lost on your way with the buck up I ordered," Pepper laughed, leaning over his side and strapped her left hand with his fingers. Then she finally realized what he was doing there.

Tony was standing by the bar, with his hand occupied with her drink (melting already, by the way), waggling impatiently, all hemmed in there by Pepper's least favorite journalist – Christine Everhart. When he turned his head to her, Pepper thought that even Lassie probably hadn't felt that happy when she came back to Joe, as Tony now saw Pepper.

"Hey, honey," Tony choked out, stressing on the word 'honey'. Pepper looked at him oddly, but he just gave her the drink. "I'm sorry, Catherine here involved me in a conversation..."

"Christine," the young journalist corrected him, pouting. "Since when are you an errand boy, Tony?" she questioned, totally ignoring Pepper.

"Since I need to take care of my girl here," Tony strained, smiling falsely and rose his and Pepper's connected hands.

Christine smiled widely, trying to behave nice, but looking at them slyly anyways. "Oh my, so these rumors that you got your PA knocked up are true. Congratulations," she said, suppressing a laugh and folding her arms.

"No, we're not expecting-" Tony started, but was interrupted by Pepper, who was gripping his hand firmer and firmer. Someone was furious.

"Thank you, Christine," Pepper interrupted, faking her grateful voice. "And how are you? Are you looking for a job in here?" she asked, while nodding her head politely. "I did hear that Vanity Fair isn't doing that well this quarter... So tragic, so many people fired."

Christine ruffled up and was about to shot back at Pepper something, when Tony stopped women's exchange of fire and spoke, "Nice talking to you, Callie, see you around." Then he dragged Pepper into the crowd, laughing hysterically.

"Damn, that was so damn sexy, Potts, you all marking your territory. That's what I wanted you in here for," he chuckled under his nose and leaded them for the exit.

"That's all? You wanted to show yourself off with me? Or to keep me looking at your hands, in case you were up to dirty business?"

"Both really, but I would say the stronger accent was on to the first choice. The second one was more of me proving a point to you."

"Careful, I might think you arranged the whole thing."

Tony rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Why are we leaving?" Pepper asked him as they left the building out into the chilly late night.

"Well, I don't know how about you," Tony started and muffled her with his coat, while waiting for Happy to drive up into the club's driveway, "but I feel some of my hippy-happy endorphins coming." He winked.

Pepper smiled with adoration at him, and they were about to share a soft kiss when their limo appeared.

Tony hopped into the car after Pepper and ordered his driver, before pulling the wall between him and them up, "Hogan, drive for Pepper's apartment. I'm freezing."

With a loud thump he closed the car doors after himself and immediately leaned over his lady to catch her sweet lips in his.

#

"So sexy..." Tony moaned and pinned Pepper to the wall in her small anteroom.

In the darkness Pepper faltered slightly over some boxes standing on the floor, but Tony was holding her waist firmly and wouldn't let her fall. She pushed the boxes away with one foot and kissed him back, holding onto his tie strongly.

These boxes were a result of her still being in the process of moving into the mansion. Right now, with both of them panting huskily into each others mouths, they felt thankful she hadn't sold yet the apartment that wasn't 30 minutes away from the center, but just 5.

Tony lifted Pepper up clumsily a bit, trying to make her clasp her legs around his waist but the slippy material of the black dress wouldn't co-work with him. Instead, he pushed her down the hall, on their way losing his jacket and tie.

"Mmm, no... wrong way, Tony," Pepper grumbled, when they finally reached another room. "It's the kitchen."

"I don't fucking care," Tony murmured back, seating her on the kitchen isle.

Pepper's hands were already pulling down his trousers. As soon as he pulled the hem of the dress maximally high, Tony sank his hands in Pepper's red locks. He held his fingers tightly between these waves, and he was about to break their kiss to work on her collarbone but felt a strange feeling of release in his right hand. He stopped their actions and stepped away slightly, holding up his hand with something.

"What?" Pepper asked without opening her eyes.

"Pepper... Pepper, I'm sorry," Tony stuttered a bit.

"For what?" she asked and understood immediately the moment she looked at his hand. He was holding a strawberry colored lock of hair in his hand. "Oh."

Pepper jumped off the isle right away, took the lock out from his hand and walked past Tony. She walked into the bathroom and flushed the hair in the toilet. Then she found a rubber band and tied her hair into a messy bun. Looking into the mirror, she ruffled the locks one last time and leaned over the sink sadly, supporting herself with hands on the wall.

"It's okay, honey," Tony said and approached her, hugging her back and burning his face in her neck. "It's gonna be okay."

"It's not okay, Tony. It's really not," Pepper growled and turned around in his arms. "I take loads of medicine for these to not fall out. And they do," she sighed.

"But it's not the end of the world, Peps. Many people got through that," he rubbed her forearms, smiling. "The tests show you're doing great for now, JARVIS says you're doing awesome, and I think you look as sexy as hell tonight," Tony added, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. "Let's hold on to that."

Pepper nodded her head miserably. "Okay."

"You are gonna be just fine, trust me," Tony murmured against her lips and found with one hand the zipper he sought so long for. He sighed heavily, as they were finally slowly heading in the right direction for bedroom.

It was the most beautiful feeling in the world, to hold her like this, protecting her from everything – including her own thoughts. He had to believe he could protect her from this thing inside her body.

They fell together onto the bed not to be interrupted until the rest of the night.

#

Tony kept on changing channels on the muted TV, while Pepper was soundly asleep against his chest. It was something around 6 AM and he couldn't sleep anymore. And if it wasn't enough, even when he managed to drift off for 10 or 20 minutes, Tony would wake up shortly after, some very real nightmares haunting him since that day they got to know about Pepper's sickness. He tried to call it just this – a sickness, something you're sure to recover from, and he bravely took over the role of their relationship's keeper, which Pepper was doing for last couple of years. Yet tons of frightened emotions under his mask somehow managed to get him in his sleep only.

Pepper stretched herself slightly under the covers. She re-cuddled her face against Tony's neck, sighed quietly but remained in deep sleep. Tony kissed her on the top of head and inhaled into her hair. After Pepper herself, the most favorite thing he adored about her was this hair in ridiculous shade between blond and red. He sighed heavily. He'll miss the hair, but he'd miss Pepper ten thousands times more if something happened to her.

"Heeey-eh," Pepper yawned out, who woke up by feeling Tony's muscles tense up, his left hand holding onto small of her back harder.

"Hey." Tony smiled and kissed her chastely.

"What's going on?" she asked, seeing a remote control in his right hand being attacked by his nervous fingers.

"Oh, nothing. Couldn't sleep anymore, I guess," Tony answered and shrugged. "Look at that," he said, pointing to the flat TV screen on the wall across the bedroom, "They say on E! that half of Hollywood is into divorces now."

"Turn the volume up," Pepper asked and turned her head a little to have a view. "Hey, that's funny, I saw them just yesterday at the party, and they seemed completely fine, not divorce-ish at all," she resented, pointing with finger at the screen, where the presenters were currently talking about the famous couple. "Where they take their informants from?"

"Don't care," Tony chuckled and kissed the piece of skin on her neck, she revealed while raising her head to see the TV.

Pepper smiled and turned her head to catch his lips in hers. Tony returned the smile into her mouth. He grasped her back in both of his hands, helping her to get on top of him. As she placed her hands above his head, Pepper hit accidentally Tony under the rib with her knee.

"Ow," he yelped.

"Sorry," Pepper giggled, her hands sliding down his sides already.

Tony laughed and broke the kiss. "How's that funny to you, me getting hur-"

"Hush," she interrupted him and rose her head, listening to something.

"What?" confused Tony asked.

Pepper didn't response but took the remote he was still holding and turned the volume up more.

"... buzz that Tony Stark fired his long time, loyal assistant, Virginia Potts. Apparently Virginia is one of the girls that gave into Mister Stark's charm, but she wasn't the stupidest one. A close friend of Tony Stark said Miss Potts got pregnant and Tony wasn't exactly delighted to say the least. However, it looks like Virginia Potts persuaded him it's his child and to hire her back..." the program presenter nattered.

"Fired? His child?" dumbstruck Pepper whispered and got off Tony. "What the-"

Tony cut in, hissing loudly and put a hand to his eyes. "Evergreen."

"Everhart you mean? What does she have to do with it?"

"It might have slipped my mouth last night, when that Echhart was cross-questioning me, that you quit being my PA, but I didn't give a damn to explain that hyena the situation. What for even?"

Pepper said nothing and lay down beside him, placing her head on his chest. They both sighed heavily. Tony started to stroke her hair, looking blankly at the ceiling. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair at all. These assholes shouldn't get to talk about something that caused them pain and got their hopes up.

Tony turned the TV off and threw the remote away, onto the fluffy carpet. It seemed like a couple of long, silent minutes before Pepper said something.

"She's one of a hell bitch, that woman," she burst out, all frustrated.

"She is," Tony agreed and kissed her on the nose, smiling again. Pepper using bad words in this particular situation was sad, but still unique.

Then suddenly Tony's cell begun buzzing on the nightstand. He reached for it with a groan and even wanted to cancel the call, but he couldn't as it was Rhodey calling.

"Yes?" Tony answered the phone. "I'm at Pepper's, why?" he asked and his expression hardened. "Are you sure? This Russian type?" Then Tony sighed heavily, looking at Pepper apologetically. "Just for your information I'm leaving a warm and eager woman in bed. Yes, I'm coming. He's always ruining the moments, don't you think? And he didn't even like the suit idea in the first place," Tony said and disconnected the call. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Peps," he promised and started up from the bed covers.

"Just be careful, okay?" Pepper asked in a begging tone, watching him put clothes on.

"A cup of espresso or two, and I'll be sharp as knife," Tony replied while putting t-shirt on. Then he leaned over Pepper and gave her last kiss before he was off for mansion. "Call for Happy to help you with the rest of the stuff you need for moving."

"Sure will." Pepper kissed him once more and within seconds Tony was out of her sight.

#

A couple of hours later, Pepper was driving into the mansion garage in the back of the limo filled with a couple of boxes with her stuff. The moment she and Happy got out of the car, JARVIS immediately run a test on Pepper, just as Tony ordered him.

"Good afternoon, Miss Potts," the AI greeted her. "How are you today? Your vitals look smashing."

Pepper chuckled. Though she would rather prefer Tony to be here and tell her himself that she looks 'smashing', his computer system complementing her organs was fine for now.

"Hey, JARVIS, I'm fine. Could you send Mr Stark's correspondence to my e-mail? I'll look through that later."

"Of course, already done."

"Let me help you with these, Happy," Pepper offered herself, as the driver carried up the first box.

"No, no, no," Happy refused and shook his head. "Mr Stark clearly said you can't overwork yourself, and he'd really kill me if I wouldn't keep that promise."

"Oh well," Pepper sighed and followed him upstairs for the bedroom. Once all the boxes were in Tony's wardrobe, Happy said his goodbyes and left the mansion, assuring Pepper she can call for him anytime she wants.

Pepper assured him back she will, although she didn't feel like going anywhere at all. She still was upset about the hair, about Tony going on a mission and certainly about Christine Everhart causing the stupid buzz.

However, she lightened up a bit in a moment, remembering Tony's behavior lately. Yesterday's and that morning's also. He seemed so caring, so in love. And Pepper was so afraid for this bubble of happiness inside of her to burst. Because Tony Stark made her forget about the cancer, even when she was in the middle of a hospital, connected to a drip.

She headed for the wardrobe to pull some things out, but as soon as she tried to open one of the boxes she felt this weird feeling of debility in her hands. Pepper puffed with dissatisfaction, grabbed her PDA from bag and pounced herself onto the bed in order to relax a bit while reading Tony's business e-mails.

She got through a couple of fan mails and two asking for a meeting ones only, when she spotted a message from Christine Everhart. _That girl has quite a bit of nerve,_ Pepper thought and opened it.

_Mr Stark,_

_Wednesday, the Hilton 10PM, as you asked._

_Yours,_

_C. Everhart_

Pepper blinked her eyes a couple of times before she could think straightly. That son of a bitch. And he got her believe he changed.

#

Tony really regretted he forgot to have this espresso he needed. He would have drank an energy drink or something like it instead of coffee, but he was in the middle of a fucking desert, looking for Russian mines that apparently were a high tech kind of ones, spilled all over the west part of Afghanistan. And dusk was settling in. Right.

When his suit signalized the presence of the mines just under him, Tony landed carefully on the desert, on the, what it seemed like, mine-free zone. As soon as he landed, an incoming call from Pepper appeared on his display.

"Hey, honey, I'm kind of in the middle of something, is this important?"

"Are you pity-screwing me, Stark? Or you just think it's funny to play with cancerous sick woman? Should I be grateful for your kindness?" she asked in hateful voice.

Tony stood up, stopping his process of looking for the mines. "What on earth you're talking about Pepper? Do you feel fine?"

"Yes, I feel fine. On the other hand, I've had enough of your eye-humping everything that moves, of these girls clinging onto you, and I've had enough of you. Did you honestly think I wouldn't get to know about Everhart?"

"About Everhart? Pepper you seriously got something wrong, can we talk about this later?" Tony asked, because his system's alerts showed him he was very near to the mines, and he still didn't know their mechanism. Rhodey told him specifically to be careful, saying the mines might have some smarter method of working than the usual.

Seconds later he knew he should have got some sleep last night. Or that coffee in the morning.

#

Pepper didn't have the time to response to Tony as she heard a loud explosion sound at the other side of the line.

"Tony?" she called out but heard no response. "Tony!" she yelled once more, but felt her knees weaken already, sliding her from the bed to the floor in one moment. "Tony?"

Still no response.

TBC

* * *

Thank you for reading and your support. :)


	4. Unhappy Happy

A.N. Well, how about that reviving the corpse of this story? **BlackPuma137** is once again praised for beta testing. :)

* * *

**Unhappy Happy **

Pepper accumulated her strength and threw her phone onto the floor, making it shatter into little pieces against the wall. Tony definitely owed her new one. She couldn't take another round of beeps signalling an unanswered call. Tony wouldn't answer, and neither would Rhodey. In that moment of a breakdown, just five minutes before she killed her Blackberry with the wall, Pepper called for Happy, because she didn't know what to do with herself and no one at Stark Industries would know a thing. She had to talk to someone, otherwise she might go crazy.

She got up from the floor next to bed and started walking around the bedroom, making her bare feet flop loudly against cool, marble tiles. No, she couldn't take this, she had to do something. Seconds later she was in the middle of Tony's shop, sitting in front of computer's cockpit, looking flatly into the screens. But she still was powerless.

Yes, he was an asshole and probably fooled her, but she loved him. Pepper unfortunately loved him so dearly she couldn't think of anything he'd done wrong now. She just wanted him back alive.

"JARVIS, talk to me," she barked, hanging her head by forehead on hands.

"I'm sorry Ms. Potts, I still have no signal on Mr. Stark," the AI informed, and Pepper closed her eyes, feeling like someone had put an incredible weight onto her shoulders. "However, I reached Mr. Carter's number as Mr. Stark asked. Should I dial?"

Confused Pepper rose her head and blinked a couple of times. "Graydon? _The_ Graydon Carter?"

"Yes, ma'am, the same. Mr. Carter was out of country, and Mr. Stark asked me to reach him as soon as I could – especially before Wednesday evening."

_Wednesday evening?_ Pepper asked herself, not seeing sense in any of this. Why would Tony want to reach Vanity Fair's editor before... before his meeting with Everhart.

Pepper groaned loudly and hit her head against glass of the desk. Of course. He wasn't cheating, he was reacting to Everhart's actions. Maybe trying to make Carter do something about her. He was taking the whole situation of buzz in his hands.

An awful feeling of guilt flooded her body as Pepper whimpered. If right then he was dead or wounded in the middle of freaking Afghanistan and her last words to him were ones insulting him, accusing him of the worst, Pepper would never ever forgive herself.

Suddenly she heard a crack in the distance and jumped to her feet, thinking it might had been Tony. Her hopes were killed as she saw it was Happy driving into the garage. What was she thinking? Tony wouldn't be that fast from the place at the other end of the world. She sat back into the chair and sighed heavily.

"Any news?" Happy asked the moment he jumped out of the car. Pepper only shook her head miserably in response. "I'll try to call Mr. Rhodes once more," he offered and wandered off, pulling out his phone.

"Nothing," he murmured after he wandered back, and leaned against the desk. Pepper remained silent for a couple of minutes, staring blankly at him, as if he could do something; anything. Then some tears started curling down her cheeks. Happy noticed it, crouched in front of Pepper and hugged her tightly. Though she felt quite awkwardly misplaced in arms of Hogan, Pepper breathed into his chest heavily, feeling a tiny, tiny peace at last.

"I was so mean, Happy. So mean," Pepper moaned, remembering her words.

Happy probably didn't understand what was she talking about, but he started muttering words of comfort into her hair, "Everything's going to be fine. You're going to be just fine."

Pepper knew Happy meant well, however, the exact words Tony said to her some time ago, now flowing through Happy's lips, weren't the same ones she loved to hear; weren't the ones that she could feel satisfied with.

Then the landline phone begun buzzing and ringing on the desk. Happy looked sadly at Pepper, who abandoned him right away and in seconds reached the handset.

"Hello?" Pepper asked, hope filling her again.

There were a couple of cracks and clicks at the other end of the line, but finally she heard the only voice she wanted to hear now. "Hey, babes? You're at the mansion, right?"

In seconds Pepper's delighted mood turned into irritated one. "What? I'm dying here from the stress that something happened to you and all you give me is 'hey, babes'? What the hell, Tony! I think I already called everybody that might know something in this country, I destroyed my Blackberry because of you and dragged Happy here because I might had gone mental! And then JARVIS mentioned something about Graydon Carter and his number, and Jesus, what is going on there?" she questioned in a squeal hearing more of the cracks on the line.

"You done?" Tony asked patiently moments after Pepper stopped her babble. He took no answer from her as a yes and carried on, "Go to the shop and I'll dictate you the code you need to write into the main computer."

"Why? And I'm already in the shop."

"I lost my emergency connection with JARVIS, and without him I can't send Rhodey my coordinates. I need you to reboot it."

"What?" Pepper asked in high voice. "What happened? Are you wounded?"

"I'm not, Peps," Tony replied, now annoyed. "I accidentally disarmed one of these bombs I told you about, and I need to transport it to the U.S. so I can work it out. Don't you think that flying over Pacific with a mine in my hands would be a little thoughtless?"

"Accidentally? What do you mean accidentally?"

Tony hesitated. "Well... I disarmed one as I blew up the other, while you were rambling earlier. It did mangle me here and there, including my communication parts, but I'm in one piece, I promise."

Pepper sighed but with a big feeling of relief on her heart. Then she tapped into computer what Tony told her to.

"OK, thanks, honey. I have the connection with JARVIS back. I should be home in next days," Tony joked.

"It's not funny, get back here as soon as you can," Pepper growled and saw Happy looking at her in a strange, investigative way.

"Will do. Love ya," he shouted.

"I love you too," Pepper replied and ended the call, noticing Happy now turned around and wandered off somewhere.

She threw the phone onto the couch and stood up to find Happy and ask him whether he was hungry.

* * *

Pepper was walking around the kitchen, not sure what to do with herself while waiting for Tony to come back. It was already late in the evening, and darkness settled in the mansion. The only light in the house was now coming from the living room, where Happy was watching TV and waiting as well. Pepper asked him to stay because somehow she had this strange feeling in stomach, guessing that Tony probably was more injured than he admitted over the phone, and she was too weak to manage to help herself only.

She left Happy with David Letterman in order to make something to eat, but all fridge contained was half empty Cranberry Finlandia and a couple of vegetables she bought two days earlier – the last thing Tony would touch. It was horrible how his life revolved around fast foods and alcohol.

For a moment she considered ordering pizza for herself and Happy, but her hands just needed to do something. Then she started taking out anything she could find in the drawers. She examined her gatherings and decided to give vegetarian broth a go.

Pepper remade the messy braid her hair was in, her nervous hands pulling onto the red locks a bit too strongly, and she was about to chop the vegetables, when she pulled a piece of hair from her head. It wasn't the first time that happened since yesterday; mainly the weakest hairs were falling out, but the back of her head already was looking baldish.

"Hey, what's the fuss in here?" Happy asked, startling Pepper by turning the lights on, inducing Pepper to hid the lock in her hand behind her back automatically.

"Oh, you know... making some soup; I fancy a big plate of broth at the moment," she replied.

"Soup? It's almost 12 AM," he questioned, looking at her suspiciously. "I guess that's okay; you look a little pale, Pepper."

Pepper put the other hand to her face. "I do?"

Happy hadn't answered right away but just sat by the kitchen top on the bar stool. "Do you need help with anything?"

"Nah, I think I have the basics." Pepper waved her hand and threw the hair lock in her hand into the trash bin while Happy was looking out the window at the city lights.

"How are you lately?" he came again, obviously thinking about something intensively.

"What do you mean?" she answered innocently, knowing he was seeking for something with that question.

"I mean all these pregnant rumors and Tony firing you..." Happy shifted in his seat, laughing, but obviously not honestly.

"Well, I'm not pregnant, and neither did Tony fired me," Pepper replied with the same kind of dishonest laugh. Her heart pinched unpleasantly. "You know, these reporters." She rolled her eyes and took a pot out of a lower drawer.

"You sure? I saw the pictures of you two in front of the hospital," he replied, unbelieving. Pepper sensed he was trying to figure out why wouldn't they call for him and limo that day.

"I'm sure," she lied with heavy heart. She trusted Happy, but she didn't want anyone to judge her through the cancer image. This was a thing between her and Tony, something that bounded him to her, but in a positive sense. "How about that help? You could do some chopping after all," she asked, wanting to change the subject, and occupy both her thoughts and Happy's.

* * *

"One piece? You come back looking like a giant plum and with two ribs cracked, and you told me you were barely injured?" Pepper yelled at Tony, who was standing at the platform, robots taking the damaged suit off him, as soon as she heard results of scan that JARVIS run on him.

Tony ignored Pepper's shouts and called out for Happy. "Hey, Hogan, throw me a coke or something. I have a chip in my mouth."

Pepper folded her arms and looked as Happy run over for fridge and back to Tony with a can. Tony sipped the whole drink in one gulp and threw the can onto the floor. He moaned at the obtuse pain in his chest, when he started walking, but it didn't stop him from approaching Pepper and pulling her against himself to kiss her passionately. Pepper sighed into his mouth, happy as never to have him back, to feel his palms over her hips and her hands started running through his wretched, sweaty hair, with that pressuring his mouth against hers.

When they broke the kiss, Tony pecked her nose before she begun commanding him again. "Now bed and I'll get my nursing kit. We've got stuff to talk about," Pepper said and shook finger at him, as she finally noticed Happy was already at the other side of the the shop, looking everywhere but at them. He must had felt uncomfortable. It had been years that Tony and Pepper were in this professional, yet testy relationship. Now it had to be weird for him to be around while they acted like lovesick fools.

"Right away, sister, bed it is. Good that Rhodey will be here with my package tomorrow at earliest," he answered and winked, thinking of the _other_ idea of bed that Pepper had in mind. "Happy, help me in here."

"If connections in brain were like little streets, you'd have one big highway from head to crotch." Pepper exhaled deeply and headed for stairs, while Happy lead Tony for the small elevator, helping him with giving his arm for support.

"But it ain't highway to hell," Tony yelled back and chuckled, leaning against the cool, metal wall.

Pepper hadn't answered, but she smiled and went into the kitchen to get some tools for stitching Tony's deep abdomen bruise. When she got what she needed, Pepper started walking for stairs, her hands full. Suddenly something hit into her while running down the stairs. Luckily, she yelped but hadn't released the grip on the tools she was carrying.

"Happy," she breathed, scoffing.

"I'm sorry. You need help with that?" he offered.

"No, no." Pepper shook her head as her pulse normalized. "Where are you running to?"

Happy scratched the top of his head and shrugged. "Oh, you know. Stuff." He was behaving really strangely, and Pepper sensed he wanted to be out of there as quick as possible. "If you need me I can stay," he added with unexpected hint of hope.

"No, go, do your stuff." Pepper smiled. "He's not as injured as I yelled earlier; he won't need a doctor. I just like to chide him, so he'll be more careful next time," she said in conspiratorial tone and winked, but Pepper again got the feeling she misunderstood Hogan's words, as he hadn't smiled back.

"So," he mumbled, "I should head out. Thank you for your vegetable soup."

"Don't mind it," Pepper cut in and waved her hand that was filled with gauzes. "I'd do better if all this geek had in his fridge wasn't vodka and old mirepoix."

"'Well...night," Happy murmured, and for a moment Pepper thought he wanted to kiss her on the cheek, but he hesitated.

"'Night," she murmured back, rising an eyebrow as she watched him walk for the doors. However, she quickly forgot Happy's behavior, recalling she had one urgent patient upstairs queuing for her medical care.

"Hey soldier," Pepper said as she approached Tony, who was sitting on the bed, struggling with pajamas's trousers and apparently his current weakness – that deep bruise across his abdomen.

"Goddammit," Tony cursed, finally finding a pant leg with his foot. "I swear it's as hard as thirty years ago," he mumbled and hopped back onto the bed, looking disappointed. "Hey, I thought you'd be in this sexy nurse suit by now."

"Well, you'll have to take me as I am, cowboy," Pepper grumbled and rolled her eyes, as she sat beside him to decontaminate the bruise.

"Do you know," she murmured after a little while, while putting the first gauze to his ab, "why was I bitching the other time?"

Tony hissed at the sudden pain and shook his head only.

"I got this e-mail from Everhart for you about some meeting in a hotel. I got the wrong idea," Pepper admitted, words of apology not yet able to get through her lips.

"Figured as that much, but I wasn't sure," Tony half-moaned but opened his eyes and just smiled at her. "Because of that big mouth I had no coffee or breakfast this morning. She was playing all unobtainable, so I ran out of time. Somehow she believed I was giving her a booty call and I let her think that. She wouldn't want to meet me, if I told her that I wanted to chop her head off."

"That's why it's so hard for me, Tony," she begun but stopped for a moment, probably for some dramatic effect. "It's so hard to be so much in love with you, knowing your attitude about women, thinking everyday might be the day for you to break my heart. I don't want you to break me," she admitted and smiled flatly at him.

Tony reached for her soft hands, her hands that did so well at the task of taking care of him, and brought them to his lips to kiss them briefly. "Pepper, you've done so much for me, ever since I can remember. If I hurt you, I would hurt myself. It's not easy, me being me, but I try for you," he confessed and smiled truly at her. "Man, that was pompous," he laughed.

"Yes," Pepper laughed back, loving every single word he spoke. "Are you still meeting Everhart on Wednesday?"

"Nah, I don't think so. A quick chat with dear, old Carter will do. But I won't cancel yet. What scares me is that this might have the opposite effect. She might not write about us herself, but Everhart won't drop the subject easily, especially while I'll try to do something with her through her editor. She'll find a way," Tony groaned and hit the back of his head against the wall.

As Pepper ended her surgical operation by placing a wide plaster on the bruise, she sighed. "How will you go to tomorrow's Halloween party for employees, let alone make a speech in a state like this?"

"It's not that bad, I swear," Tony said cheerfully and leaned to kiss Pepper, but halfway he moaned, reaching for his ribs.

"Don't move," Pepper said as she pushed him back against the wall, "and don't swear anymore, it's not your thing."

"But I wanna go to the party. For the first time in years," he replied. "I wanna show off with how great of a boyfriend I am."

"Yes, you are." Pepper rolled her eyes. "But you? You wanna go? I thought we both could skip. You, due to your state... Me, due to my ridiculous hair," she admitted, showing him bald spots in the back of her head. "But...we won't have to waste the time."

"I like the sound of what you're saying," Tony smiled playfully.

Pepper smiled back and leaned over him delicately. "For the first time in years I might just agree with you on something like this."

"We can still do that, but I'd like to go to the party tomorrow," Tony insisted.

"Why?" Pepper moaned. She was up again and folded her hands. "I don't believe you just want to show with me, it never mattered to you."

"Aw, have some faith." Tony winked. "It's a surprise."

Pepper always liked surprises and the funny feeling she was getting from excitement. However, knowing Tony had a surprise for her, at their annual company party, gave her unpleasant shivers. And that was why she never told him of this little deviation of hers.

"I don't have a costume, and look, how I will present myself with this hair?" Pepper complained, unconvinced.

"Leave it to me," Tony ensured her and reached with his hand for her delicately, so he wouldn't cause himself pain.

"Okay," Pepper agreed reluctantly, her mind going blank once their lips met in soft kiss, but then she moved off him lightly not to wound him. "But no playtime for you; only rest!"

Tony only groaned.

* * *

Pepper was giggling like crazy. "Is that an arrow in your butt?"

"Actually, yes, yes it is!" Tony laughed back, showing her his back, the mentioned arrow hanging off his left butt cheek. Tony was wearing a classic suit but diversified it with a pair of green antennae on his head and the arrow on velcro. He liked the Halloween tradition for costumes; he just didn't like to lose his style on behalf of humiliating himself.

"Are you an orc?" Pepper asked hesitantly, leaning against the wardrobe's wall, as she was trying to calm herself and stop a coming laugh.

"An orc?" Tony repeated, his smile fading. "Orcs don't have antennas! Woman, you don't know the basics! You probably wouldn't find a difference between E.T. and Grinch!"

"Okay, okayyy..." Pepper apologized by putting her hands up. "No need to fuss. What are you then?" she asked, by that meaning what _she_ was, because she allowed him to choose the matching costumes for them. Actually, she was afraid to ask even.

"I'm Shrek," he answered, satisfied with himself.

"Oh, that one I know. But I don't think he wore any kind of suits." Pepper circled around him, watching him closely.

"Well, it's just an essence of it. But look at what I've got here." Tony pulled out something off the hanger and waved with it in front of her eyes. "You're Fiona."

Pepper caught it in next second and sighed with admiration. "This is really beautiful, Tony," she murmured, running her hands through the princess-like, green-and-gold lined dress.

"I'm glad that you like it," he murmured back and shoved under her nose another, yet so much more shiny, thing. A tiara. "You could pin somehow cleverly your hair in it, like these princess in fairy tales."

"I can't. I'm not 10 years old anymore, Tony," Pepper touched it with fear for breaking it. "Plus, it looks really expensive. Too expensive for me." She looked apologetically at Tony and shook her head.

"Pepper, I have enough money to buy plenty of these; I don't care, as long as it pleases you," he said and hugged her back, nudging the tiara into her right hand. "So if you want plenty of these, or whatever else, I'll buy them. Because you're worth it and many, many more than that."

"I guess I _could_ be your princess for a day, like Cinderella or something." Pepper smiled warmly. "I guess I have something of a child still."

"You are Stark Industries' princess already, Peps," Tony said, mumbling into the skin of her neck and kissing it. "I invited Rhodey too, I'm dying to see him in his costume," he laughed out loud, like he knew something she didn't. He left Pepper alone to change and headed for a quick meeting with Graydon Carter, who was currently in town, before the party.

* * *

"I'm never having a bet with you anymore," was the first thing Rhodey grumbled, as Tony and Pepper approached him and his date standing outside the club that Stark Industries rented.

"So chic, James," Tony chuckled. Then kissed the back of the hand of Rhodey's date. "Janette, right?"

Pepper looked at Rhodey in awe. From heads to toes he was wearing a big costume of a donkey. "Hey, I'm Pepper," she greeted the petite, black woman, who was wearing a costume of a witch. "Wow, James, you really got into this costume thing."

"Involuntarily," Rhodey growled, and lead Janette after Tony and Pepper into the club.

"Told ya they weren't weight-triggered," Tony shouted over the music.

"Who was jiggered?" Janette asked, but nobody answered her question.

"We'll get you martinis," Tony offered to girls, and dragged his friend after himself.

"Have you looked at the mine already?" Rhodey asked when he caught up with Tony at the bar, with some problems too as his costume was letting him hobble more than walk.

"Nope, it's all about the fun and alcohol tonight," Tony denied and gave the bartender, who was wearing lame plastic rabbit ears, a banknote. "Two martinis and two scotches."

"Tony, it's really important, with the official budget we'll find a way of disarming it other than blowing it up in 30 years. Four people are already dead," Rhodey said in begging voice. "We're running out of time."

Tony stood there, just looking at his friend and sighed. "I know, I'll look into this in the morning."

"Right, like your hangover won't last that short," Rhodey answered, snorting.

Another deep sigh left Tony's mouth, before he admitted in low voice, "I can't get drunk that much really."

"Why?"

Tony ignored the question. "So who's that Janette chick? She looks nice."

"What's wrong?" Rhodey pushed on and pulled out his ear out from the gray material of donkey's head in order to hear Tony's mumbles.

"I have to be with Pepper at the hospital in the morning. I already missed her two appointments." Tony rubbed his cheek with a hand, before he caught the drinks in his hands.

"Hospital? Now should I be happy about an upcoming godchild?" Rhodey cheered, but his smiled vanished, seeing no happiness from his pal.

"One word: chemo. And you tell no one." Tony threatened him with pointing finger, with a hand carrying the scotch.

"What? What kind?"

"Don't ask me, my mind still can't embrace this gynecological stuff."

"Is she gonna be fine?" Rhodey questioned in muffled voice.

"Let's hope so. The doctor said she has 95% chance for cure. I want that ginger to marry me," Tony replied and gave Rhodey a quick smile. Then he sipped on the drink, trying to kill the pessimistic thoughts in his head.

"I thought you didn't believe in marriage." Rhodey rose an eyebrow in satisfaction.

"I don't think there's anything worse that karma, or whatever, could get us into. Marriage doesn't sound so bad," Tony suddenly chuckled. "I love her, James."

Rhodey sighed so heavily and loudly it could be heard through the loud club atmosphere even. "At last. Really proud of you, man," he laughed. "You two are going to be fine." Then he hit him slightly on the arm with his fist and caught the drink for his date, leaving Tony in much better mood. Finally another person to say that other than just him.

* * *

"How did you and James met?" Pepper asked through her giggles, holding onto her tiara so she wouldn't loose it, while she and Janette were watching Tony dance, or toddling really, with old, sweet Betty from accountancy, who was dressed as an angel. Tony was giving the woman special attention, as she was about to go for a retirement this year. However, what seemed more important to him was that she was his mother's friend, making Betty even more special to him.

"I moved to LA lately, and we're neighbors," Janette answered, laughing with Pepper. Betty had left now rock'n'rolling to Chuck Berry with Tony, so as to 'twist again' with James. Tony hadn't seemed the slightest bit happy to be cheated on with a donkey. "I openly say I'm not watching any news, TV or anything, so I had no idea who Lieutenant James Rhodes is. When it turned out I was neighbors with Tony Stark's best friend - who, by the way, I do happen to know who is - well, that was impressive."

Out of nowhere Pepper felt this cold feelings for her new friend. "Oh."

"Don't worry!" Janette laughed and lay a hand on Pepper's forearm. "I already heard about you two. James is my type." For a moment she got lost in daydreaming. "But you two are so perfect together it hurts to look." She poked her tongue at Pepper.

"No, we're not," Pepper snorted. "I'm sure you know what kind of scamp he is."

Janette snorted back. "Oh, please. Look how he's wrapped around your finger. He is so dreamy. And you are such a beautiful princess," she said and pointed at Pepper's tiara.

Pepper wanted to tell her that not everything was so idyllic as it seemed, but refused, scared she might reveal too much. Instead she just shrugged.

Both of them stood there, waggling to the rhythm of Sade that filled the club. Then Tony approached Pepper and held out his hand in inviting sign. "May I, principessa?"

Pepper accepted his hand and smiled at Janette, who in seconds wasn't alone anymore as James walked towards Janette with Betty, ready to introduce the women.

"You seem tense," Tony murmured in Pepper's ear when he caught her side with the other hand. "Wanna go home?"

"You haven't made your speech yet," she answered, looking around. She knew she should be focused on her boyfriend, yet her eyes were still trying to decode whether people were watching them and commenting. "Maybe after."

"Sure," he replied and nodded slightly.

"How's your bruise?" she asked with care.

"Fine, because of great medicine I've been taking." Tony smiled in a hint, and looked up at her, bathed in colorful lights, looking like a princess. His princess. He tried to steal a kiss from her but was taken-aback with Pepper pushing him away.

"Tony, not here," she whined.

He didn't reply, but after moment of dancing he asked, "So why the nerves?"

Pepper shook her head. "I feel ridiculous in this childish dress."

"Why? Everybody's wearing something ridiculous, that's the point."

"I don't know; I think I used to endure better what people say before," Pepper admitted, holding onto Tony's arms firmly. "You haven't said anything to anyone, have you?" she asked, finally looking him straight in the eye.

Tony narrowed his eyes. "Rhodey only, he's concerned about you as much as I am."

"Okay," Pepper accepted, wishing the party would be over already.

"Hey, did I say already how beautiful you look?" Tony smiled and came closer again so he could whisper to her.

"Like fifty times already. You got your reward for a compliment today, you even made us late, as I recall."

"I'm not saying it only for sex, please." He looked at her indulgently and cocked his head to side. "You just look the way you look...and you know...I was thinking..." Tony broke off in mid-sentence.

"Yes?" Pepper questioned in kind voice, unaware of his intentions, still looking around the dance floor uncomfortably.

"Well, I was wondering if you were thinking about us."

"Us?" she asked, totally confused. "Everyday, Tony. Like yesterday and this stupid mine accident. You really got to do something about the suit, or these mines, or I don't know," Pepper said and rose her right hand to point at him. "Ask Happy, I was close to heart-attack or something."

"I'll try better," Tony replied, pouting. She didn't get the idea at all, and he had to check the ground, because storming off on her with a marriage proposal in such crazy times could not be much of a good idea.

Then they heard the announcer call out for Tony through microphone to make a speech.

"Go," Pepper murmured, send him a warm smile and pushed him with hand on his hip towards stage. "I hope you prepared something."

"Nothing," Tony mouthed with apologetic expression and walked away, keeping a hand on the arrow on his butt so no one would knock it off, accidentally or not.

Pepper stayed where he left her, not feeling like coming back to Rhodey and Janette and ruining the moment they were apparently sharing, being deeply in conversation.

"Hey, so I was dancing with my assistant and someone shot this at me," Tony said to the microphone, when he reached the spotlight, and turned around to show the audience his arrow on the back. "Owen, I know you've got plenty of these in your bundle, so no more shooting or I'll eat your cupid wings," he joked, catching his green antennae and trying to make an ogre like sound at the Marketing Director. "At least I have an excuse for desensitizing myself a little at the bar," he added and some people laughed, others whistling in agreement.

Pepper just shook her head a little in disapproval, mostly because 'Owen's' name was Oliver, but she was smiling anyway.

"So I know time's are a little tougher than last year for everybody." Tony paused for a moment, attempting to think about something intensively. "Not for me really, no. I get to play in a costume everyday..." he joked again, when the audience, including Pepper, thought he was onto the serious part of speech already. Again some people laughed, others snarling in irritation. "I'm glad we can meet again in order to help with some funds Grace Hospice, just like my mother, Maria, started over twenty years ago..."

Then Pepper was interrupted in listening to Tony, who was nattering like crazy already, with some figure that approached in front of her.

"Happy," she breathed and placed a hand above her heart. "You scared me." In the dark place dance floor was now Pepper could only see that he was wearing clown-like costume.

"Pepheerrr, hesnotworthhyouu," Happy blurted out, and Pepper immediately noticed he was barely standing. Drunk like a fish.

"Happy, you should get a cab and go home. You don't look too well," a concerned Pepper assured him.

Happy obviously ignored her, because he started stammering over again, "Pepper, Pepperrr... That azhole got you pregnanttt... And I thought we... me and him..." he pointed at the stage inexpertly, "... were friends. Wehll... I wass mistaken then..." He rose his voice and made a strange face. "He... he got you pregnant, he used you, used us over these years... he doesn't desserve you!"

"Happy," Pepper growled in low voice and caught him by sleeve. "You're wrong. Tony haven't used me. And for God's sake I'm not pregnant, do you understand?"

"No, Pepperrrhh," Happy shook her hand off his and shook a finger at her. "Itz you which is wrong. Thony is a spoiled scumbag, and he got you pregnant."

"I'm not pregnant," Pepper replied in desperate voice, wanting to search for Rhodey to help her to put the drunken man in cab for home, when suddenly Happy caught her shoulder and started shaking her.

"No, nooo. I love you, Peppeh, you understeeend me? I know it's his child, I don't care... I can be wif yooo..."

Pepper looked at him with wide eyes. "Happy, let go of me. For the last time I said I'm not-"

"You lied to me! You were at the hospital, you eat like crazy and then vomittt... I talked to Cristina Evrrhart..." he slurred, not releasing her shoulder still. "I know your nott happy..."

She couldn't take it anymore, especially with how no one in the noisy club seemed to care about her problem with him. Maybe they thought that after years of dealing with drunken Tony she had practice. Well, Tony was never aggressive then. "Cancer! Jesus, I have cancer, Happy, do you hear me? And leave me alone, please," she shouted, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes already. She was sure like hell that now people around heard her.

"What's going on?" Tony and Rhodey asked at the same time, both coming from different directions.

Pepper hadn't answered but was just looking at startled Happy with bitter satisfaction. Tony took away the hand that Happy still was charging Pepper with, and the moment he smelled the alcohol he looked at his driver gloomily.

In seconds, he whistled for security to bring Happy outside. Tony followed the two guys, who were leading Happy away, and told Pepper to stay. Of course, she hadn't obeyed and walked in her high heels as fast as she could after them. When she reached the club's driveway Happy was already thrown into the taxi already; Tony standing above him in the open car doors.

"Go home," he said through gritted teeth, throwing a banknote onto him for paying the cab. "You're officially on a paid leave. I don't want to see you until you do something with yourself, buddy," Tony commanded and slammed the door.

"Don't be rough on him," Pepper begged Tony and caught his hand. "I think he's going through something." And unfortunately she thought she knew what he was going through.

"Pepper, he was shouting at you everybody could hear. And attacking physically too! Seriously, I will not let this happen! To you whatsoever!" he yelled, all ruffled. "What the hell, he was never like this!" Tony threw his hands up.

They stayed silent for a couple of minutes, only muffled rhythms of the music turned on again filling the sounds of this cold night.

"They know now, Tony," Pepper mumbled and smiled flatly at him. "Everybody will know." She narrowed her eyes and grimaced. "I didn't want that, but I shouted it out myself... all because of drunk Happy. He said Everhart called him and told him some stuff. She hounded him, Tony. I knew she wouldn't let this go," she finished in a sad whisper.

Tony threw a bunch of curses, walking around pavement. He couldn't propose tonight or any time soon. Pepper wasn't ready, not while she was in this dark place, with negative emotions and rumor all around them. He'll wait and do it better, just like she deserved it.

Then he approached her, hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. "I will kill her, I promise."

Pepper smiled weakly at him and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Drunk people, huh?" Tony exclaimed in a mocking voice. "Disaster!"

TBC

* * *

Thank you for reading and reviews on last chapter, my ol' pals.


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